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Determine the relation of symptomatic and structural features of patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) to psychological characteristics and measures of pain sensitisation, in older adults with or at risk of knee OA.
Learn More >Itch is a highly prevalent and multi-dimensional symptom. We aimed to analyze the association between itch and mental health in dermatological patients. This multi-center study is observational cross-sectional conducted in dermatological clinics across 13 European countries. A total of 3530 patients and 1094 healthy controls were included. Patients were examined clinically. Outcome measures were itch (presence, chronicity and intensity), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EQ5D-VAS, sociodemographics, suicidal ideation, stress (negative life events and economic difficulties). Ethical approval was obtained. Results showed significant association between the presence of itch in patients and clinical depression, suicidal ideation and economic difficulties (odds ratios respectively OR 1.53 (95% CI 1.15 to 2.02), OR 1.27 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.60), OR 1.24 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.50). The mean score of reported generic health status assessed by the EQ5D-VAS was 65.9 (SD=20.1) in patients with itch, compared to 74.7 (SD= 18.0) in patients without itch, p value < .001 and 74.9 (SD= 15.7) in controls with itch compared to 82.9 (SD= 15.6) in controls without itch, p value <.001. Itch contributes substantially to the psychological disease burden in dermatological patients and the management of patients should include access to multidisciplinary care.
Learn More >The popular herbal medicine, St. John's wort, is a potent inducer of several cytochrome P450 enzymes, including CYP3A4, which plays a role in the metabolism of fentanyl. St. John's wort may also influence the expression of P-glycoprotein, which can alter the movement of drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
Learn More >Evidence for the effectiveness of intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) for pediatric chronic pain is growing; however, little research has considered factors that contribute to differences in patients' treatment response. The present study utilized multilevel modeling (MLM) to examine trajectory of change over time in functional disability from clinic assessment to 6-month follow-up in pediatric patients participating in IIPT, considering spatial distribution of pain, coping efficacy, and pain intensity.
Learn More >The aim of the study was to compare trends and differences in preoperative and prolonged postoperative opioid use following spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implantation and to determine factors associated with prolonged postoperative opioid use.
Learn More >When evaluating sensory dysfunctions and pain mechanisms in patients with low back pain (LBP), a specific subgroup of patients with radicular symptoms is often excluded. Comparative studies that evaluate sensory sensitivity in patients with a dominant nociceptive and neuropathic pain component are rarely performed. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine differences in electrical thresholds and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) between patients with low back-related leg pain (LBRLP) and patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).
Learn More >Chronic pain is a multidimensional experience associated with psychosocial (e.g., pain-related beliefs and pain coping responses) and spiritual factors. Spirituality is a universal aspect of the human experience that has been hypothesized to impact pain experience via its effects on pain, physical/psychological function, resilience and pain-related beliefs, and pain coping responses. However, research evaluating the associations between measures of spirituality and measures of pain and function in individuals with chronic pain is limited. This study seeks to address this limitation.
Learn More >Most research exploring the relationship between cognitive factors and pain, disability and fatigue in patients with persistent pain/fatigue has been performed in multi disciplinary environments. It is unclear whether these associations are consistent in other contexts. This study therefore aimed to establish the relationships between these factors in patients with persistent pain/fatigue referred for physiotherapy treatment.
Learn More >Humanized monoclonal antibody galcanezumab, which binds to calcitonin gene-related peptide, has shown efficacy for episodic and chronic migraine prevention. These analyses evaluated galcanezumab response for migraine headache prevention in patients who previously failed onabotulinumtoxinA ("nonresponse" or "inadequate response" or safety reasons).
Learn More >Schwannomatosis and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) are two distinct neuro-genetic tumor predisposition disorders which however share some clinical and genetic features. While germline mutations in the NF2 gene are only found in NF2, a majority of schwannomatosis patients have germline mutations in the SMARCB1 or LZTR1 genes. The overlapping clinical phenotypes pose a serious challenge in differential diagnosis and in risk stratification of these two entities which is further complicated by frequent mosaicism in both disorders. Chronic neuropathic pain which is a typical consequence of small fiber neuropathy, is characteristic for schwannomatosis. By contrast, NF2 patients do not have chronic pain but may have moderate to severe sensory deficits and paresis which are not characteristic for schwannomatosis. In the present study, we determined intra-epidermal nerve fiber density (IEND) in skin biopsies of 34 clinically ascertained schwannomatosis and 25 NF2 patients. In the NF2 group, 11/25 (44%) presented with IEND below the age- and gender-matched bottom 5% normative reference IEND. In contrast, nearly all (33/34=97%) schwannomatosis patients showed IEND below or on the bottom 5% normative reference. The reduction of IEND in schwannomatosis patients was age-independent. Paired t-test revealed no difference between the NF2-IEND and the corresponding bottom 5% normative reference (P=0.98). By contrast, IEND in the schwannomatosis patients were highly significantly lower than the corresponding 5% normative reference IEND (P<0.0001). In addition, the difference between the IEND of our patients and the 5% lowest normative reference IEND was highly significantly larger in schwannomatosis patients than in NF2 patients (P<0.0001). IEND of our patients did not correlate with neither the presence nor types of germline mutations in neither the NF2 nor the LZTR1 gene. In conclusion, schwannomatosis patients have marked low IEND which provides a major parameter for diagnosis and differential diagnosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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